A Maghera motorist has been fined and told by a district judge that he should not be behind the wheel after police detected a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

Police were on patrol on Crewe Road in Maghera around 1.30pm on 18 January when they saw a car stopped at the roadside with the driver in the driving seat.

An expert inspection of the car later uncovered defects that meant the vehicle was in a dangerous condition, the prosecution told the court.

The defendant, Kyle Rainey, aged 39, of Drummuck Road, Maghera, already had 11 penalty points on his driving licence.

His defence lawyer said Rainey had only driven the vehicle a short distance.

District Judge Conor Heaney imposed a fine of £125 and a £15 offender levy. He told Rainey that he should simply not be on the road.